Tottenham Hotspur attacking star Xavi Simons created seven chances against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night, and that's a vital reason why he needs to start every week under Thomas Frank.
Simons made the move to Spurs during the summer transfer window, and despite starting twice in a row in the Premier League, Frank opted to drop him to the bench against Brighton. It was always going to take time for Simons to settle in to a new league, but a player of his quality should be a guaranteed starter every single week.
Spurs have enjoyed a strong start to the Premier League season, but they dropped points against Brighton last time out. Simons returned to the starting XI against Doncaster, and although it was against lower opposition, he showed Frank what he was missing from their previous Premier League clash. With some tough fixtures coming up, it's a chance for Simons to really show what he's all about.
Telling Stat Shows Why Simons Must Start for Tottenham
As per FotMob, Simons created a whopping seven chances during the game against Doncaster Rovers, despite being substituted in the 61st minute. In the Premier League this season, this would rank him in third place for Spurs from just a single game, and creativity is something Spurs are missing with Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison out injured.
Questions have been asked of some of Simons performances recently, but his display against Doncaster shows exactly why he needs to start every single week. Against Brighton, no Tottenham player created more than two chances in the game, showing what they were missing with Simons on the bench. The Dutch international eventually came on late in the game, but had he been playing from the start, there's no doubt Spurs would have seen more creativity throughout.
Up next for Spurs is a home game against Wolves this weekend, before they travel to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday. Frank should be looking to give Simons starts in both of these games, and the fact he was brought off early against Doncaster could speak volumes. With a couple of games in quick succession up ahead, the Danish manager might have hooked the Dutch attacking midfielder with one eye on the upcoming matches.